In a conventional method of accenting an embossed and flat board surface, the board is flooded with a suitable liquid accent coating after which it is wiped by a smooth roll rotating against the board in the opposite direction of board travel. The roll is of uniform cylindrical shape throughout its length and wipes the coating off the high areas of the embossed or textured surface, leaving it in the low relief areas. The contrast between the accent coating and the underlying base coat accents or highlights the textured or embossed surface. However, this conventional technique cannot be successfully employed on non-flat, lapped or stepped boards.
Vacuum systems for coating flat panels and like strip material are also well known. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,662 in which the panel passes through a pool of liquid coating in a chamber. Excess liquid coating is uniformly removed from the panel by a continuous flow of air over the flat surfaces of the panel and into the chamber produced by a vacuum applied to the chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,417 is a further example of use of this vacuum technology in coating a flat strip of material. This technology cannot apply an accent coating to an embossed or textured surface to produce the contrast required for a satisfactory two tone or accented effect.